Kick Up Your Heels at the National Constitution Center’s Bootleggers Ball

Philadelphia, PA – Flappers, put on your favorite beaded silk chiffon dress, make sure your hair is perfectly bobbed, and slip on your best dancing shoes. Fellas, don your white tie and tails, grab your top hats, and don’t forget your password. In connection with American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition – the world-premiere exhibition everyone is “jazzed” about – the National Constitution Center will transform into a swinging speakeasy, complete with Jazz Age music, Lindy Hop and Charleston lessons, and themed photo opportunities. The Bootleggers Ball will take place in the Center’s Grand Hall Lobby onThursday, October 18, 2012 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Admission to the ball is $35 for museum members and $40 for non-members (ages 21+) and includes advanced access to American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition before it makes its world debut. Reservations can be made by calling 215.409.6700 or at www.constitutioncenter.org. Guests are encouraged to come in their best Roaring ’20s attire!

After learning some new moves from Mixed Pickles Vintage Dance Co., who will provide free dance lessons and performances throughout the evening, partygoers can shimmy the night away to the sounds of the Ben Mauger Orchestra, who will perform popular jazz numbers of the 1920s and 30s.

In addition, guests can enjoy authentic cuisine from Brulee Catering; a variety of whiskey cocktails from Jim Beam Devil’s Cut and Canadian Club Dock No. 57, which was inspired by the historic shipping dock where Canadian Club export manager Bill “The Real” McCoy shipped whiskey to America during Prohibition; and Batch 19 lager inspired by the last batches of beer brewed before Prohibition. Using a grayscale effect, Batch 19 also will provide a special photo opportunity with 1920s props.

From October 19, 2012 through April 28, 2013, the era of flappers and suffragists, bootleggers and temperance lobbyists, and real-life legends like Al Capone and Carry Nation will come vividly to life in the National Constitution Center’s world-premiere exhibition American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. Spanning from the dawn of the temperance movement, through the Roaring ’20s, to the unprecedented repeal of a constitutional amendment, this first comprehensive exhibition about Prohibition will explore America’s most colorful and complex constitutional hiccup.

American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition is created by the National Constitution Center and curated by Daniel Okrent, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. Following its debut at the Center, the exhibition will embark on a nationwide tour.

Admission to American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition is $17.50 for adults, $16 for seniors and students, and $11 for children ages 4-12. Group rates also are available.

Admission to the Center’s main exhibition, The Story of We the People, including the award-winning theatrical production Freedom Rising, is included. For ticket information, call 215.409.6700 or visit www.constitutioncenter.org.

American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor.

Located on Independence Mall in Historic Philadelphia, the National Constitution Center is America’s first and only nonprofit, nonpartisan institution devoted to the U.S. Constitution. As a cutting-edge museum, national town hall and educational facility, the Center illuminates constitutional ideals and inspires acts of citizenship through must-see multimedia exhibitions, live performances, timely public programs and dynamic educational resources. The museum dramatically tells the story of “We the People” through more than 100 interactive exhibits, films, photographs and rare artifacts; the stirring theatrical performance Freedom Rising; and the iconic attraction Signers’ Hall, featuring 42 life-sized bronze statues of the Founding Fathers. As America’s town hall for constitutional dialogue, the Center regularly engages political leaders, scholars, pundits and journalists of diverse viewpoints. The Center also houses the Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach, which serves as the hub for national constitutional education and provides exceptional civic learning resources both onsite and online. For more information, call 215.409.6700 or visit www.constitutioncenter.org.